Gammelstad Church Town

Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå
UNESCO World Heritage site
Gammelstad Church Town
Location Gammelstaden, Luleå Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden
Criteria Cultural: (ii), (iv), (v)
Reference 762
Inscription 1996 (20th Session)
Area 16.402 ha (40.53 acres)
Buffer zone 243.474 ha (601.64 acres)
Website www.lulea.se/gammelstad
Coordinates 65°38′46″N 22°01′43″E / 65.64611°N 22.02861°E / 65.64611; 22.02861Coordinates: 65°38′46″N 22°01′43″E / 65.64611°N 22.02861°E / 65.64611; 22.02861
Location of Gammelstad Church Town in Norrbotten
Gammelstad Church Town (Sweden)

Gammelstad Church Town (Swedish: Gammelstads kyrkstad) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in Gammelstaden near the city of Luleå, Sweden, at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is the best preserved example of a type of town that was once widespread throughout northern Scandinavia. As Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå, it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1996.

The town is located about 10 kilometers upstream the Lule River. At its centre is the 15th-century Nederluleå Church surrounded by 424 wood-built houses. The houses were only used on Sundays and during religious festivals to accommodate worshipers from the surrounding countryside who could not return home the same day because of the distance and difficult traveling conditions.[1]

Because the buildings are built from timber, regular maintenance is required to prevent rot; surveys have been carried out to document the extent of existing rotting, and snow is cleared regularly during the winter.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Fast, April; Thomas, Keltie (2004). Sweden: The Culture. Crabtree Publishing Company. p. 20. ISBN 077879329X.
  2. ↑ Kaslegard, Anne (2011). Climate Change and Cultural Heritage in the Nordic Countries. Nordic Council of Ministers. p. 16. ISBN 9289321954.
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